No comments:

BABALA:

Survey: Rate the performance/s of Mr. Federico A. Espiritu as OIC;

ANNOUNCEMENT:

To All Concerned Government Employees

We wish to inform you that the administrators of Blog (We Are Rational - serves as our freedom wall) is now accepting articles (announcements, opinion, commentary, news, plan of united actions and other relevant write-ups) related to QUEDANCOR issues. We will publish your articles for the general interest and for solidary purposes. Please send us your article/s in word format at "wearerational.quedancor@blogger.com".

DBM Press Release

No mass layoffs says budget chief

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Jr. denied reports that there will be mass layoffs in government and even said that state machinery will be absorbing more employees this year. “While the economic crunch resulted in mass layoffs in the private sector, there will be mass hiring in government. Funds for this purpose have already been earmaked in the 2009 national budget,” Andaya said.

Andaya made the statement in reaction to concerns aired by the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), a progressive public sector union in the , that the rationalization plan of the government would displace a significant number of government workers.

As a matter of fact, the Secretary said, the budget of the Department of Education alone allows for the hiring this year of 10,000 teachers and 2,000 non-teaching personnel of the line department. “This will bring the number of teaching and non-teaching personnel of DepEd to 506,000,” Andaya said.

Andaya also said that funds have been earmarked for the hiring of 500 jailguards for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and for the Bureau of Corrections. He said some 3,000 policemen will be hired this year to bolster the manpower of the Philippine National Police.

Under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Areas (NARS) program, some 5,000 nurses will be employed to serve in the barrios and far-flung municipalities. State universities and colleges, on the other hand, are authorized to hire additional academic personnel.

In addition, some P2 billion has been allocated in the 2009 budget for the government’s reforestation program, which authorizes the hiring of 40,000 green-collar workers.

“All of these are aimed at cushioning the effect of the global economic crunch on the private sector which had no choice but to cut down the number of its employees due to the financial slowdown,” the Budget Chief said.

Andaya said that government vacancies have been allocated funds for the purpose of hiring personnel. This is in addition to Malacañang’s order to government agencies to set aside 1.5 percent of their MOOE, estimated at P7 billion, to hire 180,000 job-order personnel for six months.

Andaya clarified that the plan to abolish redundant positions in government had been advanced not only because of the cost of maintaning said positions but also to improve service delivery by cutting red tape through systems and organizational changes. Those affected by the rationalization do not include professionals such as policemen, teachers, doctors, nurses, midwives, and firemen,” he said.

The Secretary further said that the implementation of the plan will be democratic, consultative, and non-coercive, all part of creating a “smarter government.” In the consultations for the implementation of the plan, the accredited employees’ union of the agency will be represented.

Andaya reiterated that those affected by the rationalization plan are given three choices: to be retained in their mother agencies if their skills are still needed and there are positions where they can be accommodated; to be redeployed to other agencies without reduction in salary; to opt for retirement or separation from government service, with incentives.

The incentives are: half of the basic monthly salary as of June 30, 2007 for every year of service, for those who have rendered less than 21 years of service; three-fourths of the monthly salary as of June 30, 2007 for every year of service, computed starting from the 1st year, for those who have rendered 21 to less than 31 years of service; a month for every year of service, computed starting from the 1st year, for those who have rendered 31 years of service and above. The incentive is in addition to what they will get from the Government Service Insurance System.